Daytona 200 aims for bigger crowds

Daytona bike week will undergo the biggest rescheduling in its history next year in a bid to get more people to attend the racing rather than just the parties and street shows.

The event was built up around the superbike races but over the years the gathering of bikes and the resulting parties have become more of an attraction than the racing itself. So the AMA, organisers of all the racing events has opted for a major re-shuffle to the racing calendar for 2004 to try and boost the trackside crowds.

The main changes will see the Daytona 200, the opening round of the AMA Superbike championship, moved to Saturday, March 6. It is usually held on Sunday, when most people are thinking of packing up to go home. The Daytona Supercross will take place on the evening of Friday, March 5 under floodlights. The Supercross race is traditionally held on Saturday afternoon.

Other changes to the schedule include the flat track and ‘Hot Shoe’ races moving to Wednesday, March 3 and Thursday, March 4, the Supersport and BMW Boxer Cup races will take place before the Superbike race and the Superstock and Formula Xtreme races will take place on Thursday, March 4.

If you’ve ever fancied being one of the 500,000 riders that descend on Daytona beach for the week-long event, MCN has teamed up with top tour firm Travelplanners to offer you a special discount deal.

You can stay between for five and 10 nights with return flights from Gatwick to Orlando, car hire and accommodation, from as little as £600 per person. For full details and prices click the link on the right or call 08705-280004.

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